Fallout: The Brotherhood War
by chankljp
Summary: The war between the New California Republic and West Coast Brotherhood of Steel. A conflict on a scale not seen for centuries. Here is a story about those that fought, lived, and died.
1. Introduction

_I do not own the Fallout universe. This story is written as entertainment. No infringement is intended and no profit is made. _

This story will be kind of a prequel to Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3. It takes place in the year between the events of Fallout 2 and the two newer games. I am very busy in real life but I will try to upload a new chapter when ever I have free time. Please enjoy!

* * *

War. War never changes.

Humanity's hunger for violence has remained the same throughout the millennia. Since the beginning of history, blood has been spilled from ever-thinkable reason from ideology to ethnicity, from territory to wealth.

The Great War was the inevitable result of the path humanity had chosen. For two brief hours, nuclear fire and radiation nearly wiped the Earth clean of life. A great cleansing that destroyed almost everything in its path.

But humanity lived on. Some were able to find safety in great, underground shelters known as the vaults. But the vaults have a hidden, sinister purpose. They were never meant to save anyone; instead their goal was to test humanity's responds under extreme situations.

One of such vaults was Vault 15 in California. After generations of over-population, a group of vault dwellers decided to leave their homes and search for a new life in the wasteland. Despite overwhelming odds, the vault dwellers managed to prospered, building a respectable community out of the broken remains of the old world. Though trade and cooperation, other surviving communities soon unite under their banner. In time, they formed the New California Republic. Dedicated in restoring order and progress to the wasteland, as well as old world ideals that were long forgotten, democracy, liberty, and the rule of law.

To their south, another community has arisen. A techno-religious organization descended from some of the best and the brightest in the old world military. The Brotherhood of Steel, a group determined to preserve knowledge of the old world. Although they believe in protecting humanity, they follow a strict code of technological secrecy. They only share technology to their choosen few, and even fewer were allowed to join them.

For many years, although tensions exist between the two factions, they live together in peace, for survival in a hostile land requires them to cooperate with people that they might not entirely trust.

As time passed on, the republic grown in the strength as the Brotherhood's isolationist ways made the weaker and more irrelevant every passing day. Determined to regain power, the Brotherhood plans to take away all advanced technology from the hands of outsiders by force.

This aggressive act will have terrible consequences for all. A total war on a scale not seen in more then two centuries will be ignited.

Life in the wasteland is about to change.

* * *

Before I start the main story, I will admit that I am kind of bias towards the NCR, since I view them as the best hope for humanity's long term survival. But I will try to portray the Brotherhood in a sympathetic manner as well instead of being just technology hoarding bullies.


	2. Prologue

Always remember that victory is achieved thought diplomacy and not by the military. For a society that lives by the sword shall die by the sword. Soldiers and warriors are needed to defend our homes, but the future is in the hands of scientist, tradesman, and workers.

- President Tandi, The Dayglow Incorporation Address

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

_Den, New California Republic, Northern California. _

_March, 2252_

Mayor Rebecca Dyer (or Becky, as she preferred to be called) looks out of the window of her office. The streets of the Den are just like that of the other towns in the ever expanding NCR, orderly, clean and patrolled by police officers in their trademark blue uniforms. She remembered that just two decades ago, the town used to be what can only be describe as wicked hive of vices. Drug abuse, gang wars, and worst of all, slavery, they were all unfortunate facts of life in the Den. It wasn't until that mysteries tribal known as the Chosen One killed Metzger, the leader of the Slaver's Guild, that the inhumane business was put to an end. Soon afterwards, her casino bar flourished, helping the town to become a mini-Reno for traders and travelers, making them all moderately wealthy. When the NCR expansion finally reached their doorstep, she used her position of the de-facto of the town to negotiate favorable terms to annexation. Within a few months after joining the republic, the Den was totally transformed. The Rangers hunted down and arrested the last remaining slavers and the various gangs were give amnesty in exchange for them reintegrating back to normal lives. Soon after the Den was given clean running water, electricity for 24 hours a day, a small clinic, and other things that dramatically improved town's standard of living. She has even received a letter from the central government about a plan to connect the communities with a railway line. After the annexation, Rebecca was elected as the official mayor for the town, she sold her casino bar to her employee (and former competitor) Frankie and she has remain the leader of the town ever since.

'The Den has changed a lot.' she thought. The only thing that has remained the same was the Brotherhood of Steel's bunker on the west side of town. When they first arrived in the area, the Den still lacked any formal government, so no one bothered to stop them settled in. But the people didn't mind them too much as those Brotherhood guys keep to themselves for most of the time. The only interaction they had with the locals was when they occasionally traded for supplies. The NCR doesn't seem to care about them too much either. From what she has heard from traders and soldiers from the south, the Brotherhood was once the most powerful group in the wasteland with advance weapons and equipment centuries more advance then anyone else. But that was in the past now. The NCR is now the dominate power in this area and she expects them to incorporate the Brotherhood into the republic anytime soon now.

There was a small knock on the door, 'Mayor Dyer,' said her assistance James, 'Mr. Frankie wants to have an audience with you'. Rebecca checked her schedule; the meeting with the representatives from the Crimson Caravans is still a few hours away. 'Tell him to come in.' Frankie walks into her office with a concern look on his face. 'Nice to see you Frankie, please take a sit.' As the man sat down on the chair, Rebecca signed and said,

'If this is about the increase in entertainment taxes again, then I am going to give you the same answer. Please direct any complains you have to the NCR department of taxation. This has nothing to do with my department.'

Frankie gave her an annoyed look and said, 'Becky, this has nothing to do with my business. It is about some new comers in town.'

Frankie continued, 'It is those Brotherhood guys. They just moved half a platoon of their guys into town.'

Rebecca was unconcerned, 'Frankie, you know the Den's role as a resupply stop for travelers heading north, they are most likely just passing though like everyone else.'

Frankie replied, 'That was what I first thought. But they are holding up in that bunker of theirs. And my boys told me that they have some heavy gear with them as well. I am sure that they are up to something big.'

Rebecca looked at Frankie curiously, ' How do you know so much about this?'

'You used to be a casino owner too Becky.' Said Frankie, 'It is always important to keep tract on who is entering and leaving town.'

Rebecca took out her pen and wrote down a few notes. 'Thanks for bring that to my attention, I will make a note of that in my monthly report to Sandy Sands. But honestly I don't think it is something that we need to worry about. If you know about it I can sure so does the military. Plus the Brotherhood hasn't done anything to us or the NCR in the past, why would that change now?'

* * *

_Lost Hills Bunker, Brotherhood of Steel Headquarters, State of Maxson, Sothern California_

___March, 2252_  


After spending days on the roads, senior paladin Owyn Lyons' convey finally reaches its destination.

'Hail, senior paladin.' Said the one of the power-armored Initiates standing guard outside the bunker's entrance. 'Hail, initiate.' The man replied as he entered the elevator leading to the underground facility. The Lost Hills bunker was built by the United States government before the war, the Brotherhood made Lost Hills their home after their exodus from the Mariposa Military Base so many years ago. The Brotherhood's originals is likely to one of the greatest stories in history. Sadly the organization doesn't view history as important, the only reason that Lyons know about the story is because he spent almost the entirety of his free time in the library reading any information that he found.

When the elevator reached the bottom floor, Lyons moved into the security room. He pressed his hands on the fingerprint pad and rested his chin on the retinal scanner. The Brotherhood's code of secrecy hasn't changed since it's founding. Although there were exceptions when outsiders were allowed to join, in most cases the organization still views outsiders as untrustworthy gaining the knowledge that the protects within it's walls. The heavy security for Lost Hills is just the physical representation of that mindset. After a few seconds, the computer confirmed his identity and the door opened.

A scribe greeted him as he stepped out of the room. 'Hail, senior paladin Lyons. The elders have been expecting you. Please follow me.' Lyons' escort is a young scribe. She reminds him of his daughter Sarah, who is still an infant. He hopes to spend more time with her as his wife died shortly after giving birth. However duty requires him to be stationed elsewhere. He made a mental note to see her at the nursery after the meeting.

The pair took another elevator that descends deeper under ground. Although he barely felt the decent, Lyons know that he is now kilometers under ground, even deeper then some of the vaults. One of the biggest advantages of having Lost Hills as their headquarters is that the bunker is easily defensible in the unlikely event of an attack. Even if the attackers managed to overrun their primary defenses, all the Brotherhood needs to do is to lockdown the elevators, preventing them from taking control of the other floors.

As they reached the lowest floor, the young scribe leaves him to continue on to the conference room since she doesn't have the authorization to access the floor today.

Two paladins with laser rifles stood guard at the double doors that lead to the conference room. The door silently silt open and he entered. Lyons recognized everyone sitting by the desk, High Elder Jeremy Maxson, the six other Elders in charge on Lost Hills, the Heads for the Scribes, the Paladins and the Knights, as well as all the important Generals.

Lyons saluted.

The Head Paladin looked at him and saluted back, "Senior paladin Lyons, your excellent performance in the mission of defending our outposts in the northern frontier against the raiders has caught out attention. That is why we summoned you here today. Listen closely to what we are going to say as you will be part of what we are planning."

'Understood.' Lyons replied. He stood absolutely still and didn't relax a muscle. One cannot be at ease when the most powerful individuals in the Brotherhood is in the same room with you.

High Elder Jeremy Maxson stood up, "Brothers, we are at the cross road of history. Our actions here will decide the future of the Brotherhood. Two centuries ago, my ancestor Roger Maxson founded the Brotherhood of Steel. For decades, we were the unchallenged power of the wasteland with our large numbers and unopposed technological advantage. But look at us now, we have become irrelevant in the eyes of the wasteland. Our 'friends' at the NCR both outnumber and have much more influence then us. And neither are we the only power that controls advance weapons. Energy weapons can be bought by anyone that can afford them. The Shi in San Francisco is even able to produce operational suits power armor and vertibirds. With the NCR continue expansion the Shi will soon join them. When that happens, all of California will have access to their advance technology. This will have the Brotherhood a totally irrelevant and obsolete organization."

The High Elder paused for a moment to let the information sank in. Everyone knew that the Brotherhood has been on the decline. But to hear it from the Elder himself just makes it even more undeniable.

Maxson continued, "It is time for the Brotherhood to take a new path, a new direction. It is time for us to take a more active role in the day-to-day life in the wasteland. It is time for war!"

There were a few gasp of shock from the table. Although Lyons stood still, his heart was racing. Surely this cannot be the case, the Brotherhood has never been an aggressor that attacks first.

Elder Maxson pointed at the hologram behind him that displays a map of California. "For years, the NCR has allowed us to establish outpost throughout their territory. Their military presents in these areas are low since they thought we would protect their settlements. For months, the head paladin has been moving troops to those locations. As soon as war breaks out, they will take control of the areas. The NCR will not be able to respond until it is too late. By that time they will be in a difficult position to effectively counter attack."

The head scribe spook, "But Elder, the Brotherhood has always been a primarily a military organization. We lack the civil skills or knowledge to administrate large settlements. What are we going to do once we take control of an area?"

"Nothing." Maxson replied. "We will first eliminate all of NCR's presents in the area then we will seizing any items of technology that we deem inappropriate from the locals. When the war ends, we will leave them be. Without a central government to lead them, they will be no threat to us."

"But elder, this war will be an open act of aggression against a long time ally. Years of good will towards the outsiders will be undone and that Brotherhood will not be trusted again! Just think about the long term repercussion that we will face!"

"We care not about how the outsiders view us. All under the flag of the two-headed bear will become ashes. The NCR has grown vulnerable; their size has become their weakness. Now is the time to strike! While they spend their resources on developing tools of comfort and complacency for their people the Brotherhood will crash them in our technological might. The republic will become an example to the wasteland that the Brotherhood will not tolerate technology falling into the wrong hands. All shall remember the reason why they should fear the sight of our power-armored paladin once again."

The head scribe was about to speak again when Maxson silence him by saying, "Remember the Chain that binds. To question the Brotherhood is to question the codex. And to question the codex is to question humanity."

The Head Paladin stood up and walked over to the holo-gram map. "Out of formality, we will send a representative to the NCR government demanding them to hand over their technology. Naturally, they will refuse. Then as soon as that happens we will strike."

"Now, senior Paladin Lyons," he said, turning his head to the direction of Lyons. "Here is were you come in."

"What do you ask of me?" Lyons asked.

"You will go to the Brotherhood's embassy in the NCR's capital city. There you will meet up with scribe Reginald Rothchild that has already been stationed there. You will be given more information when you get there."

Lyons nodded. The head paladin gestured toward the exit of the conference room. "Go now, and bring glory to the Brotherhood."

* * *

So this is my first chapter for the story. I hope I am not making the Brotherhood to be too evil. But based on their behavior in the first two Fallout games plus the design document for the unreleased Van Buren, this is totally realistic behavior from them since they are not the Knights in power armor like how they were in Fallout 3.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Any suggestions, advice and constrictive criticisms welcomed!


	3. Chapter 1

"Before the FEV Curling-13 project, we sent out reconnaissance and exploration teams to gather information on the different mutant communities in California. We considered that the illegal state of NCR as a harmless faction of farmers, diplomats, and shopkeepers, especially since they don't even have access to power armor. But then shortly after the destructions of Poseidon Energy Oil Rig, the NCR mobilized immediately and captured the Navarro airbase within weeks. Imagine, a group armed with nothing but homemade and pre-war leftover weapons taking out half a battalion of power armored and plasma weapon widening soldiers. We promptly raised the NCR's threat level from 'Low' to 'Extreme'. We were so desperate to get away from them that when some presidential advisor who we didn't even met before ordered us to relocate ourselves to the opposite side of the country, not a single person objected or even questioned the order. "

- Colonel Aurelian Autumn, Enclave Armed Forces

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

_New Arroyo, New California Republic, The Oregon Frontier_

_March, 2252_

In front of the large crowd of reporters and townspeople, President Joanna Tibbett put her signature onto the treaty. The town elder stepped forward behind the podium and said, "I hereby officially decide that New Arroyo is now a member of the New California Republic!' The crowd cheered as the town elder and the president shook hands.

To any visitor in New Arroyo, it is almost impossible to think that less then a generation ago, it used to be a primitive tribal village. Now Arroyo is one of the most prosperous and important settlements in the wasteland. But the town still maintains to their tribal roots, the building style and artwork displayed in the town hall shows a unique mix of advancement and tradition. Now with New Arroyo as part of the republic, other settlements in Oregon will soon follow.

President Tibbett faced the crowd and spoke:

"Thank you, thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen: Ninety-one years ago, the man known only as the original Vault Dweller visited the small town of Shady Sands, Well, since then two generation has passed. And today I, as the representative of the New California Republic, come here to speak to you all.

It is a tradition for us presidents of the NCR to visit in person whenever a community chooses to join us, because it's our duty to address those who place their trust upon us. By I am here today for other things as well, I was dawn to this town by its history and the values that it represents. The late president Tandi often spoke to me about her memories of Vault Dweller. And so I decided I must see for myself, the community that the legendary hero himself founded.

The people of the NCR and Arroyo both share a very similar history. We were both originated from the vaults, we were both victims of mad and inhumane experiments designed by the power hungry Enclave. Our ancestors both left their homes in search for a new life. They did not have an easy life; the odds were against them in this harsh and inhospitable land. They were armed with only their strength and determination. But in the end they endured and they won. We being here today stands as proof of that.

Both the Vault Dweller and president Tandi were people of action. When the Vault Dweller fought to defend both his home and for humanity, president Tandi fought for the ideals that burned in the heart of the Old World that preceded us: democracy, freedom, and equality before the law. The Vault Dweller and president Tandi were the visionaries of their generation, and we, as the heirs of their ideals, must march forward and continue what they stood for.

Before I left for my visit here, I saw the stature honoring the Vault Dweller, displayed in front of the NCR Hall of Congress. It struck me that we have gone a long way since then. Where decades ago there was the gutted remains of the old world, today in California we have prosperity that was unseen since the Great War. Where there was once hunger and starvation, we now have irrigation systems making this nuclear blasted land fertile once more; where there was poverty, today there's wealth.

As the founder of Shady Sands, Aradesh, once said, Many sticks can be broken, a bundle cannot' Today, the people of the NCR and Arroyo is as one; Today, we are one great family, united under the same flag, guided by the principles that the Vault Dweller and president Tandi stood for.

Here, in this town that represents the best of the republic, let us make a vow to those who came before us. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they stood for. Let us make a promise to our children, and to this land, that we shall never repeat the tragedy of the old world. Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their values, and guided by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and fought for."

* * *

_NCR City, New California Republic, Central California_

___March, 2252_

___3:00 pm_

"Good morning, please state you business in the NCR." Said the customs officer as Lyons walk toward the city's gates. "I am on official business." Lyon replied and he showed the officer his traveling papers. After finishing checking them, the officer gave them back to him. "We don't get a lot of visitors from the Brotherhood. Welcome to the NCR. The embassy is in the down town area next to the ranger headquarters. You can't miss it."

NCR city, the capital of the New California Republic. The most important city in the most important nation state in the post-war world. A shining beacon of civilization in the cold and merciless wasteland, a monument to the former glory of the old world. The city is so politically and economically important that the bazaar areas outside the city walls alone is more populated and generate more tax revenue for the republic then entire states in the frontier regions.

Lyons have visited the city before when he was just an initiate, he remembered himself secretly admiring the relatively comfortable life that the citizens enjoy, the clean streets and pristine apartments. One of the most memorable things about NCR City is its limitless green plant life. Of course, except for areas such as the Glow that suffered the worst radioactive fallout, enough years have passed since the Great War that wild plant life can be seen all over the wasteland. But they are usally dry and unimpressive due to the conditions of the soil in which they are grown on. NCR City in the other hand, have devoted large amount of their resources for building open parks filled with tall trees and flower patches around the city as both a show of the republic's wealth, and a symbol of development. Occasionally you can see a few electric powered cars traveling down the roads as the people in the capital carried on their lives.

Back when the mutant armies were defeated, the Brotherhood helped the people of Shady Sands to defend themselves against the retreating super mutants. After that a small outpost was established in the town. Eventually, when the NCR was founded, the outpost was upgraded into the Brotherhood's only embassy to an outside organization.

The Brotherhood embassy's black and grey exterior made it literately stands out like a black sheep in the crowd compared to all the gleaming white buildings that surrounds it. Its sharp contrast to the rest of the city feels as if it is a metaphor for the Brotherhood's isolationist policy. And just like many other Brotherhood facilities, most of the complex is located under ground. After spending half an hour going though the security checks, Lyons was finally given access to the building.

A men in scribe robes was waiting for him as he exits the room. "Senior Paladin Lyons I presume?" asked the scribe. "Yes. And you must be scribe Rothchild." The two men shook hands and Lyons followed Rothchild down the corridor of the building. "The high elders have informed us that you would be coming. I will be your personal assistance and intelligence aide from now on. Elder Elijah is waiting for you in the conference room."

Lyons entered the conference room. The room Consisting of a large square table, it has a holo-display board to the left and the Brotherhood's symbol painted on the other side. "Senior Paladin Lyons, please take a sit." Said Elder Elijah. After a few minutes as others arrived and took their seats, the Elder stood up and spoke.

"Brothers and sisters, I am glad that you all arrived here today. As you all know, the events in the next 48 hours will decide the fate of the Brotherhood and of the entire world for years to come. Now let us get to the task at hand." The holo-board then shows the map of the NCR with all major settlements and military installations pinpointed. "Although the Brotherhood has not on friendly terms with the NCR for the past few years, our intelligence reports indicate that they have no knowledge our plans. There forces are mostly focused on the frontier expansions dealing with raiders and securing trade routes, this will give us a massive advantage for at lease sometime until the NCR and retaliate.

"Here are our orders: I will personally deliver the declaration of war to the NCR government tomorrow at 8:00 am. Senior Paladin Lyons will led a take command of a strike force to take out key buildings here in NCR City in order to disrupt their civil and military command. Everyone else will stay behind and destroy any equipment or documents that might be of use by the NCR." Elijah then handed a holo-disk to Lyons. "The details of your mission are on this disk. Your strike team will be ready for you in three hours. Good luck. Steel be with you."

Lyons and Rothchild got into a private office and inserted the holo-disk into the computer terminal. After logging in using both their personal identification codes and password, the screen displayed Lyons' orders:

Source: Lost Hills Central Command, Head Paladin

Priority: Alpha

_Mission Briefing:_

_The strike team under the command of senior paladin Lyons is to cripple NCR's command and control when the invasion begins. The elite strike team will plant remote control demolition charges on key buildings in NCR City hours before war is declared. Once the invasion begins, the charges will be detonated, causing havoc within the NCR military command, allowing the strike team to evacuate from hostile territory and give the Brotherhood troops in the frontline an advantage until the NCR can reorganize._

_Primary Objectives:_

_(1) Plant explosives in the NCR Hall of Congress_

_The Hall of Congress is the most important command center for the NCR. By destroying it the Brotherhood will simultaneously deal a terrible blow to NCR morale and slow their logistics and administration considerable._

_(2) Plant explosives at the Rangers Headquarters._

_The Rangers are the NCR's most elite military special forces. Destroying their headquarters should prevent them from organizing an effective resistance in this region for a short time._

_(3) Plant explosives at the city's power plant_

_By cutting off the city's power supply the Brotherhood will be able to make our escape from this area much easier. It will also force the NCR to redirect resources in re-building the city's infrastructure._

_Note: The strike team must not be detected since it will put the grand plan at risk._

_Secondary Objective (Only to be carried out if it is reasonable to do so depending on the situation):_

_(1) Plant explosives at the officers of the caravan companies._

_The NCR is heavily dependent on caravan companies to maintain their non-vital supply lines. Destroying the caravan companies offices should cause disruption for the NCR logistics._

_(2) Plant explosives at the local police department._

_Without their police force the NCR will not be able to maintain order after the chaos caused by the mission. This will force them to station additional troops in the capital city instead of engaging Brotherhood forces on this frontlines._

_Rules of engagement: Full stealth, Civilians expandable_

_

* * *

_I hope everyone is enjoying my story so far. I will apologize in advance for any and all grammar and spelling mistakes that you might find in the story. English is not my first language and I suffer from learning difficulties so I hope everyone can understand.

In the story you might noticed that the characters seems to have a clear idea about the events of Fallout 1&2. I just figured out that they should be able to put together post-war histroy snce the area is now much more developed. Unavoidably there might be some contractions in the story with the official cannon materials, but I tried my best to make such that I am staying as close to the official cannon as possible.

Please leave a comment for suggestion or reviews!


	4. Chapter 2

_I love working for the great bear,_

_Shows me just who I am._

_One, Two, Three, Four, NCR Rangers!_

_Four, Three, Two, One, I love the Rangers!_

_Screw those slavers SOB!_

_A bullet in the head is what they need!_

_I don't know but I have been told,_

_Ranger pins are made of gold._

_Makes the girls lose control,_

_Another reason to always stay strong!_

_- NCR Rangers Barracks March_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**

* * *

**

_NCR City, New California Republic, Central California_

_March, 2252_

_1:00 am_

The three-man team of police officers quietly patrols the area just outside the Hall of Congress. The streets are very quiet for such a heavily populated city. Despite it having been decades since the NCR was founded, the concept of nightlife is still a very new thing for the people living in the NCR's capital. After all, it was just a few generations ago that the very idea of three full meals a day or having clean running water was thought of as the height of luxury. The city's attitude exists for business and government, not for vacations and relaxation (They left that for New Reno and the Den). Accept for occasional crimes, the police force doesn't usually have much to do on day-to-day bases. However, standard police equipment still includes an assault rifle, occasionally sometimes they were even given military-grade Gauss Rifle in the event that things go wrong. But with them being in one of the most secure settlements in the wasteland, they have little to no reason to worry.

Before the officers could wonder what was making that sound coming up behind them, all three of them were quickly slain by a gunshot to the head each.

Wearing his lightweight recon armor, Lyons reloaded his silencedSMG and wave for this squad to move on. Personally Lyons prefer his own power armor, his is so used to the protection and strength enhancement that the power armor offers that he feels kind of… naked without it. But he understands that it is necessary for the recon armor due to the stealthy nature of this mission.

'Paladin Lyons, your target is just up ahead.' Said Rothschild over the encrypted radio earpiece. The squad silently moves towards the back entrance of the building and set their explosives package under the desk in one of the offices. The squad exited the building without being noticed by the other security guards.

They continued on to their other targets. The Rangers headquarters and central power plants were surprisingly under-protected. Apparently the NCR is under the impression that none of their citizens would be crazy enough to try and steal from the rangers or blow up the power plant. Therefore they decided to cut budget and rejected the request of stationing guards outside these buildings. 'Unprofessional.' Lyons said under his breath.

After the packages were planted in all the targets, Rothschild spoke again 'It seems like you managed to achieve all of your primary objectives ahead of plan. If you wise, you can go after the secondary targets. But remember that you must not be detected.'

Quietly moving though the city's stress, they managed to move to the downtown area and achieved their targets quickly, occasionally gunning down police officers standing in their way.

'Mission accomplished. We are returning to base.' Said Lyons to the radio.

Then just as quickly as they came, they returned to the Brotherhood embassy undetected.

* * *

_7 hours later._

Vice president Gunther, sits in his office gong though the notes that his aid has prepared for him. Despite being one of the oldest serving member in the NCR government (Starting all the way back when he was just president Tandi's personal assistance), he still didn't have any experience of dealing with the Brotherhood of Steel. Although the BOS was one of the more important organizations in California and helped founded the NCR, there is about as many available information about them as the information about the Shi Emperor. So when the Brotherhood's ambassador demanded an audience with him, everyone was surprised.

'Perhaps they finally come to their senses and decided that they should join our government.' Thought Gunther.

'Mr. vice president, the Brotherhood ambassador, Elder Elijah has arrived.' Said his assistance though the intercom on his desk. 'Let them in.' he replied.

Elder Elijah stepped into the office and the two man shook hands. 'I apologizes that President Tibbett couldn't see you personally since she is away on a diplomatic visit. So what does the Brotherhood wants to discuss today?

'I have a statement from the High Elders for your government.' Elijah said in calm voice and handed over a sealed envelope. Gunther opened it and read its content.

By the order of the high elders, in response of the irresponsible use and distribution of advance technology together with numerous violation of the Brotherhood codex by the NCR government, Brotherhood of Steel will withdraw from the NCR/BOS Treaty of Friendship. The Brotherhood of Steel shall also hereby formally declared war against the New California Republic and all its associated allies. All Brotherhood members are hereby authorized to employ all resources to carry on war against the NCR government to bring the conflict to a successful termination.

Slowly lowering the document with his hands shaking, vice president Gunther spoken. 'In all my years as a politician, I have never been more disgusted and repulsed by a document that is so hypocritical and insane. What I am reading here is the will of a madman that is willing to repeat the mistakes of the old world and destroy all the progress and achievement that has been made for so many years. If this is what the Brotherhood wants, then so be it. But you will find that the republic is no easy prey.'

Without saying a word, Elder Elijah left the room.

* * *

_1 hour later._

'Hurry! The NCR military police has surrounded the building!' said Lyons as the last Brotherhood member got into the escape tunnel prepared earlier. With war now officially declared, the NCR's first responds was to arrest the staff at the BOS embassy. Lyon himself got in and locked the door right before the MPs tore down the door and rushes in.

On the other side of the tunnel was a small hill outside the city limits overlooking the city. Ones everyone was outside, Elijah handed over a detonator to Lyons. 'Here, take this brother. You have earned the honor of striking the first blow for the Brotherhood.'

Taking the detonator in his hand, Lyon pressed it without hesitation.

Chief engineer Dorothy was sitting at her workstation monitoring the energy output of the city's power gird as the explosion consumed her and everyone in the power plant. Killing them all instantly.

Most of the NCR Rangers stationed in the city was in their headquarters at the time, radioing and sending warning to the various NCR military that the Brotherhood has declared war against them. Most of the settlements and bases never received their warnings as the massive explosions destroyed building and killing all the rangers in it.

Numerous other explosions ripe thought the downtown and congress area. Due to the way in which the city is densely populated, it resulted in large number of civilian casualties.

Watching smoke columns rises all over NCR City, Lyons didn't need to say anything to his troops. They all know what they just did.

The Brotherhood War has began.

* * *

Ones again, I apologies in advance that this chapter is much shorter then the others and the section on the sabotage is very brief. But that is because the main ideas that I have about this fanfic is about what happens after the war has been officially declared and the full scale battles between the NCR and BOS. I was just trying to get to that part quickly. I promised the following chapter will be much better.

I am very busy in real life right now due to exams and university applications. So it might be sometime before I can find time to update this story. At the mean time, please leave comments, suggestions and reviews!


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